Brake-beam.



No. 721,664. VPATENTED MAR}, 1903.. g

' H. c. BUHOUP. BRAKE BEAM.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17, 1 902 110 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-BEBE! v PATENTEDMAR. 3,1903.v $11.0. BUHOUP.

BRAKE BEAML APPLIGATIYONIILED JUNE 17, 1902.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY C. BUHOUP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRAKE- BEAM.

SPEGIFIGATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 721,664, dated lvfarch3, 1903.

Application filed June 1'7, 1902.

To a whom, it malt concern:

' Be it known that I, HARRY C. BUHOUP, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Beams; and Ihereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same,.reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich-- V Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away,

of a brake-beam embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detachedend view of the lever-post or strut. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transversesection of the strut or lever-post and the lever-block. Fig. 4 is anenlarged longitudinal central section ofthe lever-post or strut and thelever-block. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detached plan view of the lever-blockand Fig. 6 is a longitudinal central section of the lever-post andlever-block, showing a modified means for actuating the take-up block ofthe slack-adjuster.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

- My invention relates to the construction of brake-beams, andhas forits several objects to provide in a single structure simple andefficient means forreadily converting the brake-beam from a right-handbeam to a lefthand beam, for positioning the fulcrum of the brake-leverto any requirement arising from different methods of hanging, difierentlengths of connecting-rods, or peculiarities of particular trucks, and,finally, to either manually or automatically compensate. for wear andeliminate slack from the brake system. Those familiar with railwaypractice are aware that the'relation of the lever-fulcrum to the beam orback member of the beam or its distance therefrom varies according tothe hanging of the beam, which latter is determined by the standard ofthe particular railroad using the beam, also that the varying lengths ofpull and connecting rods in the different brake systems or the peculiarrequirements of some trucks affect the position of the fulcrum of thebrake-levers for efficient work, and, further, that the wear ofpivotholes, brake-shoes, and other parts of the brake systems inducingslack or lost motion all affect the efficiency of the brake system erialNo. 112,069. (No modelf) and must be eliminated or counteracted toobtain satisfactory results, especially "where power or airbrakes areused. To effect the first of these several purposes, I QQJIlllIDQ withthe lever-post of'a brake-beam'having slide- Ways a reversible slidinglever-block capable of beinginserted and withdrawn laterally of thepost, and such a construction embodies one feature of my invention.

T0 effect a second purpose of my invention,

' I combine with the lever-post of a brake-beam having slidew ays aslidinglever-block movable longitudinally of the;p1os t and one or moreliners interposed betweenthe post and sliding lever-block,'and sucha'fcombination embodies a second feature of my invention. To effect athirdpurpo'se of my'invention,

I combine with a lever-post a movable fulcrum for the lever and anincline for automatically shifting the movable fulcrum co- -etaneouswith the slack arising from 'any increment of wear in the system tocompensate .for said wear in the system, and such a construction or itsequivalent embodies a third feature of my invention.

There are other ,minor features 0f invention, all as will hereinaftermore fully appear. H 7

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, sothatothers'skilled in theart may apply the same.

Though the lever-post "embodying my invention is equally applicable; tosolid beams, yet for the purposesof the present case I have chosen toillustrate it as constituting the strut G of a trussed brake-beam, ofwhich A is the compression member andB the tension member. s

The lever-post O ispreferably in the form of a frame or guideway for asliding leverblock, said frame composed of the side-bars 1 1, connectedateach end by the cross-bars? 3, the former of which isprovidied withmeans for attaching the same toithebeam' (in: the

present instance a sleeve 2 for'theredeptioii' of the compression memberA) and thelatter with a hanger-eye 3* for a third suspension hanger andalso in the present instance with a groove or seat 3 for the receptionof the ten-, sion -member B. The side bars 1 1 of the frame are eachprovided with two inwardlyprojecting flanges, (see cross-section, Fig.3,)

the lower of which, 1, extends the whole length of the side bar 1 and issufficiently wide to lap well under the sliding lever-block and affordit ample support, while the upper flange 1", which is of less width,terminates a short distance from the inner end of the post (see 1, Figs.1 and 4) to permit the introduction of the lugs or pintles of thesliding leverblock. The groove 4 between said flanges 1 1 forms theslideway for the slidingleverblock, and the openings 1 in the flange 1permit the introduction of the slide laterally of the post, as willhereinafter appear. The outer cross-bar 3in the present instance thatend of the post which receives the tension member Bis provided with awedge-box 5, having its inclined face 5 corrugated to engage likecorrugations on the corresponding face of the wedge, its side toward thesliding lever-block open, and its top closed and provided with aspring-recess 5" to receive a spring 6, whose lower end exerts its forceon a wedge 7, inserted in said wedge-box. The corrugations on theincline 5 and the wedge 7 may be omitted, if desired.

8 indicates a sliding lever-block longitudinally movable in theslideways 4 of the post 0. Thislever-block S, the mid-width of which issubstantially equal to the distance between the edges of the narrowflanges 1 will when the block is in position have a full-length bearingat each side on the wider flanges 1, so as to afford ample support forthe block against any force exerted by the lever on the lever-block. Thelever-block at each end is provided with laterally-projecting lugs orpiutles 8" of such form as to permit them to be introduced laterallyinto the slideways 4 through the openings 1 in the flange 1 and to heturned when in the slot so as to bring the plane of the lever-block 8within the plane of the frame or lever-post C.

9 indicates the lever-slot of the lever-block, said slot intersectingthe plane of the leverblock at the usual angle and bordered by lugs orears 9, which project on opposite sides of the lever-block in planesparallel with the plane of the lever-slot and are perforated, as at 9",to receive the fulcrum-pin of the brakelever 10, which latter when inposition (see Fig. 3) crosses the lever-slot 9 at right angles. Theouter faces of the pintles S or the ends of the lever-block arepreferably slightly fiattened, as at 8, (see Figs. 4 and 6,) to insuresquare contact between the same and one or more liners 11, which may beinterposed for the purpose of positioning or adjusting the fulcrum-pointof the brakedever 10 or in the absence of such liners 11 to obtain asquare contact for the vertical face of the slack-takeup wedge 7.

The elemental construction being of the general character hereinbeforepointed out, the parts may be assembled by first inserting the spring 6within its recess in the wedgeboX, then inserting the wedge 7 in itsproper position, (see Fig. 4,) next introducing the number of liners 11required to set or hold the lever-fulcrum the desired distance from thebeam, (or compression member A,) and finally introducing the slidinglever-block 8. In introducing the sliding lever-block 8 it is held atright angles to the post, so that the leading lugs or pintles 8 may beentered in the slideways 4 through the openings 1 in flanges 1", afterwhich the block is moved laterally toward the front end of the leverpostuntil its other pintles can be lowered and introduced through theopenings 1 into slideways 4, when the lever-block is turned on itsleading pintles 8 to bring the block 8 into the plane of the frame orlever-post O, and is finally moved forward in the slideways 4 until itcomes in contact with the liners 11 or the slack-take-up wedge 7, as thecase may be. Before introducing the lever-block 8 into the slideways 4that end of the block must be taken as the leading end which will causethe plane of the lever-slot to correspond with the desired plane of thebrake-lever, (right or left hand lever.) After the beam has been set upif it is desired to change the beam from a right hand to a left hand, orvice versa, all that will be required will be the withdrawal of theblock and the reversal of its ends before replacing the same. Thebrake-beam having been set up either With orwithout liners 11 and itbeing necessary to alter the position of the fulcrum-pin of thebrake-lever, the same can be done by withdrawing the sliding lever-blockfrom the Ways 4 and inserting or removing liners 11, as the case mayrequire.

When a brake-beam provided with the slacktake-up wedge 7 is first put inservice, there being no wear of the brake-shoes or slack in the system,the wedge 7 will retain its highest position, as indicated in Fig. 4 ofthe drawings; but as soon as any slack arises in the system frombrake-shoe wear or otherwise the take-up wedge 7 will sink by gravity,assisted, if necessary, by the pressure of wedgespring 6, thus shiftingthe fulcrum of the brake-lever 10 from time to time to take up the slackand compensate for brake-shoe wear. The inclined faces of the wedge-boxand wedge being roughened or corrugated will prevent the wedge fromgiving back or receding under the jars and shocks incident to itsposition.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings the take-up wedge 7is positively operated to take up slack (or shift the fulcrum of thebrake-lever) by means of a tappet-arm 6 on the brake-lever 10,whichstrikes the top of the Wedge whenever the brake-lever 10 exceeds itsnormal movement or travel in applying the brakes. It will be noted thatin the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 4 the slack is taken up whenthe brakes are released, and the take-up wedge 7 can then act by gravityor with slight inducing pressure; but in the modified construction shownin Fig. 6 the slack will be taken up as the brakes are applied and thelever force will be exerted to aid the wedge take-up in its operation.It will also be noted that the wedge or incline acts continuouslythat isto say, each increment of slack is taken up coetaneous with the wearwhich gives rise to it and not after a certain accumulation of slack hastaken place.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In abrake-beam, the combination with a lever-post, ofalongitudinally-sliding leverblock, substantially as and for thepurposes specified. p

2. In a brake-beam, the combination with a lever-post having a guidewaycomprised of parallel flanges said flanges having lateral openings forthe passage of lugs or pintles on a lever-block, of a slidinglever-block having laterally-projecting pintles, substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

3. In a brake-beam, the combination with a lever-post having a guidewaycomprised of parallel flanges of unequal length, of a leverblock havinglaterally-projecting lugs or pintles, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

4. In a brake-beam the combination with a lever-post having guidewayscomprised of parallel flanges of unequal length the narrow flangeshaving slots for the passage of lugs or pintles on a lever-block, of asliding leverblock provided with laterally-projecting lugs or pintles,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a brake-beam, the combination with a lever-post having guideways,of a sliding lever-block, and detachable liners, substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

6. The combination with a brake-beam and its brake-lever, of a movablefulcrumfor the brake-lever, an incline, and means actuated by theincline for shifting said movable fulcrum, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

7. In a brake-beam, the combination of a movable lever-block, and aslack-take-up device, substantially as and for the purposes specified. I

8. In a brake-beam, the combination with a lever-post, of a movablelever-block, a wedge take-up device, and means for inducing a movementof the take-up device, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

9. In a brake-beam, the combination with a lever-post having guideways,of a sliding lever-block, and a spring-pressed wedge, substantially asand for the purposes specified.

10. In a brake-beam, the combination with a lever-post, of an adjustablebrake-lever fulcrum, and a wedge slack-take-up device, substantially asand for the purposes specified. 11. The combination with abrake-beam andits lever, of a movable fulcrum for the brakelever, and means mountedthereon for automatically shifting said fulcrum simultaneously with thecreation of the slack, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses,this 12th day of June, 1902.

- HARRY C. BUHOUP. Witnesses:

MARY MOONEY,

H. E. RIGGINS.

